Power-transmitting flexible coupling



Nov. 5, 1929. H. N. SCHRAMM I 3 5 POWER TRANSMITTING FLEXIBLE COUPLING Filed April 5. 1927 2 sheets-sheet l ii F76.

N v. 5, 1929. H. N. SCHRAMM 1,734,598

POWER TRANSMITTING FLEXIBLE COUPLING Filed April 5. 1927 2 Sheets-Shem 2 ii. T ArMR/V K final breaking of the yieldable or elastic mem- 31 1 of the ring 12 is made to slope centrally in- 75 more fully described, a preferred embodifor the shaft 6 is provided with a peripheral so Patented Nov. 5, 1929 i v HENRY N. SCHRAMM, OF WEST CHESTER, PENNSYLVANIA POWER-TRANSMITTING FLEXIBLE C(HIIIiIIBTGr Application filed April 5, 1927. Serial No."18 1',103.

My invention relates to couplings adapted is shown to be fixedly mounted upon one end to connect the shafts of driving and driven "of a shaft 5 and the driven member is shown units and more particularly the shafts of to be similarly mounted upon the adjacent portable outfits such as engine driven air end of-a shaft 6. The'driving member con- 5 compressors mounted upon wheel bases. sists of a disc provided with a plane face 7 The principal object of my invention is to concentric with the shaft 5, and with a pcprovide a coupling consisting of two rigid ripheral flange 8 extending outwardly of the members connected by friction means for the face 7. The driven member of the coupling transmisison of power between driving and consists of a plate 9 provided with a rim hav- 10 driven units at all times and at the same time ing a plane face 10 in parallelism with the '60 to protect the coupling members as well as the face 7 of the drive member. I, units from being injured by the stresses and The rim of the plate 9 is provided circumstrains due to variation of speed, load, vibraferentially with a circular series of apertures tions and relative linear and angular. disor holes the centres of the holes being equidis- 15 placements. tant from the centre'of the plate. Gylindri- Heretofore friction couplings such as used cal plugs 11 are loosely mounted in the holes to connect the clutch with the engine shaft of of the rim the length of'the plugs being such an automobile had one of its members made as to project through the opposite faces of of elastic or yieldable steel. I found that the rim. 1 a 1 r 20 when such a coupling is used to connect the An annular ring 12 is mounted in the rear shafts of an engine and air compressor of the rim 10 and is providedwith a plane mounted on a wheel base, the stresses and face 13 bearing against the plugs to move strains to which the coupling is subjected rethem into frictional contact with the face 7 of sults eventually in the crystallization and the drive member of the coupling. The face er. ward and circumferentially in the driving di- With the above and related objects in view rection from low to high points, dividing the my invention comprises the construction, face into threeparts 120 degrees apart.

combination and arrangement hereinafter A cup shaped member 15 ofa ball bearing ment whereof is illustrated in the accomchannel 16. A plate 17 is provided with a panying drawing and set forth in the accomrim 18'connected by bolts 19 with the flange panying claims, it being understood that va- '8 of the drive member. The plate 17 is prorious modifications in the construction, ar- 'vi'ded with a central opening about the cup 35 rangement and other details may be made 15, the plate being yieldably or flexibly conwithout sacrificing any of the advantages of nected with the cup by a coiled bar spring 20, this invention and to be within the scope of commonly used in connection with an autothe appended claims. mobile clutch. Three links 21 are mounted In the said drawingcircumferentially of the cup 15 120 degrees 49 Fig. 1 is a vertical section of my coupling apart as shown in Fig. 2. Each link is proshown in connection with a member of an auvided with a spherical head 22 within the tomobile clutch. recess of the channel 16 of the cup and with Fig. 2 is a front view of the driven member a foot 23 pivotally connected at one end with of the coupling. the ears of a bracket 2 1 of a ring 30 inside the 45 Fig. 3 is a front view of a portion of a modiflange 8, suspended from the plate 17 by bolts fled form of a friction member of the cou- 31, and the opposite end of the foot 23 is pling. pivotally connected with a lug 25 riding upon Referring more particularly to the drawthe sloping surface 1 1 of the ring 12. ing for a detail description of my improved The ball bearing by which the cup shaped 50 coupling, the driving member of the coupling member '15 is flexibly connected with the drlve member of the coupling is carried by a sleeve 26 mounted upon the driven shaft 6, the hearing being adapted to be fixed upon the shaft when it is operatively connected with the shaft 5 by the spring 20 as shown in the drawing.

The driven member of the coupling shown in Fig. 3 is intended for use in connection with outfits adapted for extra heavy Work and comprises a plate 27 provided with a rim 28 adapted to accommodate two circular rows of plugs 11.

To compensate for wear of the plugs 11, the ring 12 is provided peripherally with recesses for the heads of pins, each pin 29 projecting from the flange 8 of the driving member to permit of the ring being moved down .to contact with the plugs and thus take up the wear. To move the ring 12, the bracket ring 30 is suspended from the flange 18 of the plate 17 by bolts 31 projected through elongated holes 32 of the flange, which bolts may be loosened by means of the heads and threaded shanks and revolved along the elongated holes until the lugs 25 ride into a higher position of the sloping surface lt of the ring 12 and tightened to clamp the ring 30 to the flange 18, the ring 12 being prevented from turning by the heads of the pins inside the recesses of the ring 12 which permit the up and down movement of said ring but prevent the ring from turning.

What I claim is I 1. A coupling including a driving shaft, a driven shaft substantially aligned therewith, a member carried by one of the shafts and provided with apertures extending in the direction of the axis of rotation,-friction plugs loosely mounted in the apertures, friction plates mounted to rotate with the other shaft and arranged to contact with the opposite ends of the friction plugs, one of said plates being movable towards and from the other to clamp the friction plugs therebetween, and yielding means normally urging the movable plate towards the other plate to clamp the friction plugs whereby relative movements of the two shafts may occur without disarrangement of the friction plugs relative to the friction plates.

2. A coupling including a driving shaft, a driven shaft substantially aligned therewith, a member carried by one of the shafts and provided with apertures extending in the direction of the axis of rotation,.friction plugs loosely mounted in the apertures, friction plates mounted to rotate with the other shaft and arranged to contact with the opposite ends of the friction plugs, one of said plates being movable towards and from the other to clamp the friction plugs therebetween, a casing carried by the last named plate, toggle levers reacting between the casing and movable plate, and a spring acting on the levers .to move the movable plate to clamping posi- 

